Seedless Nonvascular Plants Nonvascular plants are usually just a few cells thick and only 2 cm to 5 cm in height. Instead of roots, threadlike structures called rhizoids (RI zoydz) anchor them where they grow. Seedless Plants 2 2

Seedless Nonvascular Plants Most nonvascular plants grow in places that are damp. Seedless Plants 2 2 Water is absorbed and distributed directly through their cell membranes and cell walls. Nonvascular plants also do not have flowers or cones that produce seed. They reproduce by spores.

Mosses Mosses have green, leaf-like growths arranged around a central stalk. Sometimes stalks with caps grow from moss plants. Reproductive cells called spores are produced in the caps of these stalks. Seedless Plants 2 2

Liverworts In the ninth century, liverworts were thought to be useful in treating diseases of the liver. Liverworts are rootless plants with flattened, leaf-like bodies. They usually have one-celled rhizoids. Seedless Plants 2 2

Hornworts Most hornworts are less than 2.5 cm in diameter and have a flattened body like liverworts. Almost all hornworts have only one chloroplast in each of their cells. Hornworts get their name from their spore-producing structures, which look like tiny horns of cattle. Seedless Plants 2 2

Nonvascular Plants and the Environment Mosses and liverworts are important in the ecology of many areas. They can grow in thin soil and in soils where other plants could not grow. Spores of mosses and liverworts are carried by the wind. Seedless Plants 2 2

Nonvascular Plants and the Environment Mosses often are among the first plants to grow in new or disturbed environments, such as lava fields or after a forest fire. Organisms that are the first to grow in new or disturbed areas are called pioneer species. Seedless Plants 2 2

Nonvascular Plants and the Environment As pioneer plants grow and die, decaying material builds up. This, along with the slow break- down of rocks, builds soil. Seedless Plants 2 2 Click image to view movie.

Seedless Vascular Plants Ferns and mosses are alike in one way. Both reproduce by spores instead of seeds. However, ferns are different from mosses because they have vascular tissue. Seedless Plants 2 2

Seedless Vascular Plants The vascular tissue is made up of long, tubelike cells. These cells carry water, minerals, and food to cells throughout the plant. Seedless Plants 2 2 Vascular plants can grow bigger and thicker because the vascular tissue distributes water and nutrients to all plants cells.

Types of Seedless Vascular Plants Besides ferns, seedless vascular plants include ground pines, spike mosses, and horsetails. Ferns are more abundant, with at least 12,000 known species. Seedless Plants 2 2 Many species of seedless vascular plants flourished during the warm, moist period 360 million to 286 million years ago.

Ferns The largest group of seedless vascular plants is the ferns. They have stems, leaves, and roots. Seedless Plants 2 2 Fern leaves are called fronds. Ferns produce spores in structures that usually are found on the underside of their fronds.

Ferns The ancient ferns grew as tall as 25 m, as tall as the tallest fern species alive today. Seedless Plants 2 2 Most modern tree ferns are about 3 m to 5 m in height and grow in tropical regions of the world.

Club Mosses Ground pines and spike mosses are groups of plants that often are called club mosses. Seedless Plants 2 2 These seedless vascular plants have needle-like leaves.

Club Mosses Seedless Plants 2 2 Spores are produced at the end of the stems in structures that look like tiny pine cones. Ground pines are found from arctic regions to the tropics.

Club Mosses Spike mosses resemble ground pines. Seedless Plants 2 2 One species of spike moss, the resurrection plant, is adapted to desert conditions. When water is scarce, the plant curls up and seems dead. When water becomes available, the resurrection plant unfurls its green leaves and begins making food again.

Horsetails The stem structure of horsetails is unique among the vascular plants. Seedless Plants 2 2 The stem is jointed and has a hollow center surrounded by a ring of vascular tissue. At each joint, leaves grow out from around the stem.

Horsetails Like the club mosses, spores from horsetails are produced in a cone-like structure at the tips of some stems. Seedless Plants 2 2 For centuries, horsetails have been used for polishing objects, sharpening tools, and scouring cooking utensils. Another common name for horsetails is scouring rush.

Importance of Seedless Plants When many ancient seedless plants died, they became submerged in water and mud before they decomposed. Seedless Plants 2 2 As this plant material built up, it became compacted and compressed and eventually turned into coal, a process that took millions of years.

Peat When bog plants die, the waterlogged soil slows the decay process. Seedless Plants 2 2 Over time, these decaying plants are compressed into a substance called peat. Peat, which forms from the remains of sphagnum moss, is mined from bogs to use as a low-cost fuel in places such as Ireland and Russia.

Uses of Seedless Plants Fern are sold widely as landscape plants for shady areas. Seedless Plants 2 2 Peat and sphagnum mosses also are used for gardening. Ferns also are used as weaving material for basketry.

Uses of Seedless Plants Parts of many seedless vascular plants can be eaten. Seedless Plants 2 2 The rhizomes and young fronds of some ferns are edible. Seedless plants have been used as folk medicines for hundreds of years. For example, ferns have been used to treat bee stings, burns, fevers, and even dandruff.